What’s your opinion on the former middleweight champ, Sean Strickland? Many fans and fighters have different views on the champ, but according to his former opponent Nassourdine Imavov, Strickland is nothing but a troll. Imavov fought Strickland back in January 2023. Their fight wasn’t originally scheduled, but fate had different plans.
‘Tarzan’ was called upon by the promotion for a clash against the Frenchman with less than a week to go. The MMA community wasn’t expecting Strickland to perform well considering the short timeframe, but he shocked everyone by clinching the victory. After emerging victorious, Strickland seems to have touched a nerve as Imavov continues to hold a grudge. So, what did Strickland say that left Imavov salty? Let us find out.
The Clash: Imavov vs. Strickland
If we were to describe Nassourdine Imavov and Sean Strickland’s fight in a single word, it would be ‘Comeback.’ Strickland was riding a two-fight losing streak ahead of his bout against Imavov and had just a week to prepare, having replaced Kelvin Gastelum. The fight started with the Frenchman landing heavy punches on Strickland, which seemed to have tipped his stance. However, ‘Tarzan’ maintained his composure and stretched the match towards the last round to clinch the victory by way of a unanimous decision.
Strickland’s Controversial Comments
During the post-fight press conference, Strickland was asked about his opinion on Imavov, to which he replied, “I don’t even gonna try to fuing say that name. Let’s just call him Frenchie. If we learned anything about the French, what the French are the best at giving up? I mean, I never really watched him fight. I know he likes to bang at those big punches but you know he’s still fuing French man.”
Strickland further added, “It is a hard thing, it’s a hard thing to move past. There’s a lot of history of cowardice to move on from. You are a fu**ing French. Maybe he’s going to prove a statement. Maybe he’s going to say that his country has finally left cowardice behind. But I don’t know. All the French are good at is having fairs, giving up, and losing fights. But we’ll find out.” Strickland seemed unabashed in calling out Imavov for his loss. Nonetheless, such a statement by the former champ didn’t go unanswered by the Frenchman.
Imavov’s Response
Nassourdine Imavov was giving an interview on a podcast when he was asked about his opinion on Strickland’s comments. “You know he said a lot of bad things. You know lacking respect for me, especially after the fight. I mean, once the fight is over and you get the win, talking sh*t at the press conference is not something respectful,” Imavov said.
Will There Be a Part 2?
A rematch between Nassourdine Imavov and Sean Strickland would sell like hotcakes for the promotion, as both fighters have become stars in recent times. However, what’s the possibility of a rematch between them? ‘Tarzan’ is fresh off a win against Paulo Costa and he is looking at the middleweight title. But he needs at least one or two more wins for Dana White to give him that. So a rematch clash sounds perfect at the moment.
While having a conversation with a source, Imavov’s translator shed light on the Frenchman’s thoughts and said, “There was a weight difference that was bigger than usual because it was probably around 100 kilograms during the fight uh Strickland. So it was a bigger weight difference but he is used to fighting uh bigger opponent heavier opponent and it was more like the style of Strickland that bothered him than the weight in itself.” A fight between them will be the decision of Dana White and the fighters, but as of now, no such thing is on the cards.
